Madikizela-Mandela, the former wife of the late Nelson Mandela, died on April 2 in a Johannesburg hospital after a long illness. She was 81.

As one of the country’s most prominent and polarising figures, she retained political clout long after her divorce from Mandela, the nation’s first black President.

Since the end of apartheid in the 1990s, she served in several government roles, including member of parliament and leader of the ruling party’s women’s league.

“Today we lay to rest our heroine, a struggle stalwart and mother-to-the-nation,” the government tweeted Saturday. It offered free rides for those who wanted to attend the funeral.

Mourners wore black, green and gold — colors of the ruling African National Congress political party. Others wore T-shirts emblazoned with an image of her.

Deputy President David Mabuza described her as a visionary who championed reconciliation.

“You taught young women across the nation that they are just as capable, if not more capable, of standing shoulder to shoulder with men and being totally unapologetic about it,” Mabuza said. “Till death, you knew who your enemy was: racial domination, class exploitation, gender oppression.”